| Legislators and associations in California |
6/7/04 11:06 AM |
| Author:
Anthony Pina
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Dan,
You have made some excellent points. In California, we have had a couple of the largest charter school associations and development centers (both located in Sacramento). They do some very good work, but the charter voice in my state is weak compared to the thundering (and very well funded) voices of the National Education Association/California Teachers Association and the National Schools Boards Association.
You are quite correct about the "less is more" principle regarding legislation. Charter schools in California have been the victims of rampant legislation (masquerading as "accountability") during the past few years that has reduced nearly all charters to magnet school status. Some of our state legislators are quite supportive of charters, but they are the vast minority. Legislatively, we take one step forward and three steps back, as our legislature is so dominated by the anti-charter unions.
In California, our only hope may be to create the kind of diversion that occurred in 1998, when the NEA was looking at having to fight three competing initiatives. That almost worked.
Posted as a reply to:
Policy based on clearly stated principal. by Dan Quisenberry 
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